Car Features

Muscle Car Madness: 1928 Ford Model A Rat Rod

Owner:Sean McConomyWords & Photos:Clive Branson

Sean McConomy’s rat rod is about as subtle as a Wagnerian opera. But I suppose that is the whole point. Rat rods have always come across as lampooning the more traditional hot rods (customized but accurate interpretations or period-correct restorations of hot rods from the same era) with their Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s exaggerated caricature depictions featuring mammoth wheels endlessly burning rubber, engines the size of Mount Etna spilling from the car, exhaust pipes that pierce the sky, spitting out the flames of hell, and a chassis, contorted, implacably flecked with heavy rolling heaves of anger that would detonate on impact, accompanied by drivers as crazed rodents. Such iconoclastic cars appear unfinished and, at most, smeared with primer-only paint jobs and what seems like a cosmetic soft spot for rust, blemishes and the occasional bullet holes.

They have been criticized in the past by hot rodders as junk built by amateurs with little regard for safety or vision, but this is gradually changing as the popularity of these backyard innovations, often using whatever metal scraps are available, is steadily growing with the help of such catered magazines as Car Kulture Delux, Ol Skool Rodz, and Hot Rod Deluxe, which have egged on a revival in general interest in 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s cars being customized again by the younger generations.

Sean, tall, lean and tattooed, with a torso as long as his legs and a dirty-blond goatee, is a seasoned mechanic with his own business, Better Motorsports, a custom fabrication company that focuses on customs, hot rods and race cars - so this rat rod is no shoddy patchwork of duck-taped metal. Sean built the entire car with the exception of the custom driveshaft. It is a modified 1928 Ford Model A sedan with a chopped and channeled front, exposed V8 and a compressed roof obscuring all red lights. Just the way every speed freak likes it.

“In 2014, I found the car on Kijiji. It was an unfinished project - basically a roller. The roof had been filled, but it was a long way from being completed. It was just what I was looking for,” recalls Sean.

“There is a bit of recent history on the car,” he continues. “It is ironic that when my buddy Bill and I showed up to buy the car, the fellows who were selling the car for the late owner’s widow recognized Bill from previous shows. The previous owner had bought the project from, of all people, Bill years earlier. So in a way, it was coming home.”

Though a variety of engines are potentially used, the most common muscle in rat rods are flathead V8 engines, early Chrysler Hemi engines or more modern small block V8 engines. Straight-8s, straight-6s and straight-4 are also favourites. Sean’s machine houses a Ford 302 V8 with a Ford 4-speed and 8” rear end.

“It took 8 months working evenings and weekends, but what a feeling when I got it done! It has a custom 2” X 4” tubing with the front kicked up 6” and the rear jacked up 12”. There’s a 4” dropped axle with drilled, split wishbones. Custom rear suspension, trailing arms, coil overs and a panhard bar. The front brakes are disc while the back retain drums.” Sean points out every detail with pride. “The body was chopped 4” and channeled the same amount. It has a cut down rad shell from a ’32 Ford, 1936 Ford truck headlights, 1930-ear Yankee school bus taillights and a dash from a ’42 Ford, narrowed 6” to fit snuggly.”

The interior looks like a Ma and Pa diner - aluminum with flour bag linen. The finishing touch is the quartet of Rocket Racing Fire white-rimmed wheels with Firestone bias ply tires. The whole car is skinned by a ghostly-white hue and thinned with some Kentucky moonshine (the rest was probably drunk).

“The longest part to restore was the body,” confesses Sean. “Between the chop, the body and the new floors, this took the most time. But the hardest part to maintain is the electronics. It can be tricky, seeing as the engine is exposed to the elements. Other than that, the car runs like a top. I mean, sure, the car drives pretty much as you would expect - it’s stiffer than your average car, but not unbearable. The view is limited, so everything is a bush and a bungalow. I’ve put tons of miles on it; it really is great to drive.

“I grew up around racing; my grandfather was a club racer and my parents were involved in timing. I built and raced cars in my twenties with not a lot of money, so I was forced to learn how to do a lot of the work myself. I had always a craving for customs and hot rods, but I never really thought about owning one until I was down at the Race of Gentlemen in Wilwood, New Jersey in 2014.” A smile creases his face. “I was with a friend from Ohio and I went for a rip in his ’32 roadster. I was immediately hooked. As soon as I got home, I started looking for a project. I had always liked the look of the chopped and channeled sedan. When I started thinking of buying a hot rod project, I had an idea, a vision of what I wanted.” Sean gesticulates with his hands. “A long and low, aggressive style with some subtle touches. This car represents the vision that I had in my head.”

How many people can claim they made a vision come true? “The first summer I finished it, I drove it 9 hours to the Jalopy Jam Up. The fellows I bought it from were the first two guys to come up to see the car once I arrived. It was cool to get the thumbs up from them.

“The classic car scene is a fickle beast. At the moment, the generation who have money are those who grew up in the muscle car era, so these are the cars garnering all the attention at the moment. The next generation are those who grew up when imports started to mature as more than economy cars. I believe within the next 10 to 15 years, there will be a lot of classic cars available for very reasonable prices. There just isn’t the same interest as there was in the past. If you are young and into classic cars, you are lucky - there will be some great deals soon!”

Sean slides down behind the driver’s seat. “I love driving this car. It’s just so much fun, and thumbs up from right across the car culture. It seems that regardless what your interest is, this car strikes a chord.”

More like a rumble, as he burns some rubber and disappears in a cloud of dust.